As structures for mutually connecting terminal elements of connectors and wire conductors to each other, there have been known a structure in which conductor-connecting sections of terminal elements are plastically deformed and are connected (caulked) to conductors that are exposed by removing the sheath over a required length at ends of the wires (so-called crimp structure), and a structure in which slits of a width smaller than the diameter of the conductors are formed in the conductor-connecting sections of the terminal elements so as to possess a sharp outer shape, and the conductor-connecting sections are stabbed into the sheath of the wires to press-fit the conductor into the slits to accomplish the connection (so-called insulation-displacement structure). With these known electric wire connection structures, however, it is becoming difficult to cope with the decreasing diameters of the wire conductors and the decreasing pitches of the terminal arrangement to meet a level required by high-density connection of recent years in regard to both connection operability and terminal machinability. To realize a connector capable of coping with high-density connection, therefore, there have been proposed a variety of connectors having a wire connection structure of a conductor abutting type in which conductors exposed by removing the sheath over a required length at ends of the wires are abut to the conductor-connecting sections of the terminal elements under the application of a pressure (see, for example, patent literatures 1 and 2).
The connector disclosed in the patent literature 1 can be applied to a flattened coaxial cable, and includes a plurality of terminal elements each having a conductor-connecting section connected to the cable conductor, an electrically insulating body for supporting the terminal elements with the conductor-connecting sections being exposed, and a plurality of abutting members assembled with the body and for separately abutting the cable conductors to the conductor-connecting sections of the terminal elements with pressure. In this connector, each of the plurality of terminal elements (base contacts) is provided with a conductor-connecting section having a folded outer edge, and each of the plurality of abutting members (support contacts) formed of the conducting metal pieces same as the terminal elements is provided with an abutting surface of a folded shape corresponding to the folded outer edge of the conductor-connecting section of the terminal element. The body supporting the terminals which are spaced apart by a predetermined distance and in alignment, and an electrically insulating cover supporting the abutting members spaced apart by a corresponding distance and in alignment, are assembled together in a direction to intersect the direction in which the cables extend in a state where the cables to be connected are arranged therebetween. Then, the conductors of the cables are securely held between the corresponding terminal elements and the abutting members being forcibly caused to stay along the outer edges of the conductor-connecting sections of the terminal elements and along the folded abutting surfaces of the abutting members with pressure.
[Patent literature 1]
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2000-277190
The connector disclosed in the patent literature 2 is the one for a flat cable for connecting the flat cable to a printed board, and includes a plurality of terminal elements each having a conductor-connecting section connected to the cable conductor, an electrically insulating body for supporting the terminal elements with the conductor-connecting sections being exposed, and abutting members assembled with the body and for separately abutting the cable conductors to the conductor-connecting sections of the terminal elements with pressure. In this connector, each of the plurality of terminal elements is provided with a cantilevered beam-like conductor-connecting section. The flat cables are placed on a group of terminal elements with the corresponding conductors being contacted to the conductor-connecting sections. In this state, if the conductor-connecting sections of the group of terminal elements are pressed and attached to the body while bringing an abutting member (pressing plate) made of a piece of metal plate into contact with the outer surfaces (ground surfaces) of the flat cables, then, the conductor-connecting sections of the individual terminals are resiliently deflected, and the corresponding conductors of the flat cables are connected to the conductor-connecting sections with pressure.
[Patent literature 2]
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2002-25667
As a general constitution, each terminal element of the connector has a contact section that comes into conductive contact with the corresponding terminal element of the counterpart connector, and the insulating body of the connector has a fitting portion that fits to the counterpart connector while arranging the contact sections of the terminal elements in an exposed manner and positioning the contact sections for the corresponding terminal elements. In the connector of the patent literature 1, the connector fitting direction (direction in which the connector moves for properly fitting the fitting portion to the complementary fitting portion of the counterpart connector) defined by the fitting portion of the body, is nearly in parallel with the direction in which the wires (flat cables) extend on the body. In the connector of the above patent literature 2, the connector fitting direction defined by the fitting portion of the body is nearly at right angles with the direction in which the wires (flat cables) extend on the body.